The Arkansas Italian Food and Culture Festival is April 20th from 4-10 PM and April 21st from 8 AM-10 PM at the North Shore Riverwalk Park. Great food, music, competitions, and FUN! All proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas.
Viva Italia! Viva Arkansas!
Tickets are $5 dollars at the gate (Willow Street entrance) AND kids five and under are free!
Italian History of Arkansas
Henri de Tonti was among the first to arrive in Arkansas, creating the Arkansas Post as a trading outpost and first permanent European settlement in 1686.
Father Pietro Bandini leads the settlement of Tontitown in Washington County in 1898, where Italian immigrants begin planting grape vineyards.
Many agriculture-based and mining jobs were offered to Italians willing to immigrate to Arkansas in the early 1900s; however, workers were often mistreated and were not paid living wages.
Due to the harsh treatment of farming families and unhealthy living conditions, the Italian government halted immigration in the 1920s to a small community in Chicot County.
Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni came to Arkansas with her husband, who became a professor at the University of Arkansas; her poetry earned Rosa acclaim as she became the state’s poet laureate from 1953 to 1970.
In 1900, Andrew Longino becomes the first Italian-American Governor of a Southern state in nearby Mississippi.
Italian Americans have started festivals, established traditions, and made several culinary contributions to Arkansas’s heritage throughout the past two centuries; they continue to contribute to Arkansas’s diverse, unique culture.
Parking
We'll have TONS of parking available for you in the Argenta Arts District. Are you planning on parking in Downtown Little Rock and don't want to hike across one of the bridges? Rock Region METRO has you covered! Take a scenic trolley ride from Little Rock to North Little Rock for the Festival. Check out the BLUE trolley route and get ready to have fun April 20 - 21.
Get Involved
Reserve Your Hotel at Special Rates
Become a Festival Vendor
Help Spread the Word
Visit our Activities Page to find out what we have in store
Sign-up to volunteer and help us make this great event possible
Sponsorship Levels
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Call Patrick Presley at 501-580-3434 or email ppresley@arclubs.org or justin@1037thebuzz.com.
Ferrari Presenting Sponsor
Top billing on all promotional and marketing materials including radio, television, print, outdoor, social media platforms and all printed materials
Exclusivity of product or service used, unless waived by sponsor
Priority Signage: 20 x 60 Entertainment tent on sponsor row
4 free riders in bike race, 2 slots in bocce, free admission for one team in the sauce contest
250 one-day gate passes and $250 beverage credit
Presenting sponsor on official event T-shirt and Festival Poster
8 tickets to VIP Dinner
Thank you Ferrari Sponsor:
Michelangelo – $2,500
Tier 3 company logo inclusion on all
printed and promotional materials
Signage locations throughout the venue
10 x 10 promotional area
Free admission for one team in the sauce contest
100 one-day gate passes and $100 beverage credit
Sponsor on official event T-shirt and Festival Poster
2 tickets to VIP Dinner
Thank you Michelangelo Sponsors:
Armani – $5,000
Featured “Sponsored By” on all promotional materials
Exclusivity of product or service used, unless waived by sponsor
Prominent signage and promotion/mention in all media broadcast, print, radio, social media
10 x 10 promotional area
50 one-day passes
Sponsor on official event T-shirt and
Festival Poster
4 tickets to VIP Dinner
Thank you Armani Sponsors:
Colosseum – $1,500
Tier 4 logo on T-shirts and Festival Poster
Signage location throughout the venue
20 one-day gate passes
10 x 10 promotional area
Company listed on all broadcast, print and social media promotional materials
Thank you Colosseum Sponsors:
Thank you additional Supporters and Vendors:
